Hurricane Katrina was the costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States, and is the sixth most powerful hurricane on the Atlantic ever recorded. Five years after it flooded 80 percent of New Orleans, Katrina’s mark has left both challenging and empowering marks on the city.
While New Orleans still thrives as a whole, certain areas have been deemed “forgotten.” The Lower 9th Ward is the most prominent of these. Out of 1,800 people who perished in the flood, 1,500 of them were from this part of the city.
Make It Right, a foundation started by Brad Pitt two years after the destruction, is working to build sustainable homes that will stand up to future storms. Progress has accelerated the comfort and quality of life of hundreds of citizens, providing them with homes that are meant to keep families safe from further devastation. Unfortunately, only 22 percent of the 18,000 misplaced residents have returned.
Rebuilding projects span further than the Lower 9th Ward and over to the water itself. The Army Corps of Engineers has spent $14 billion improving pumps, barriers, gates and levees designed to protect New Orleans for the next 100 years of storms. After five years and $14 billion dollars, the project isn’t done, but completion is expected next year. Most experts say what really needs to be done is a 500-year storm surge, which is the largest type of surge barrier in the world.
Despite delays in rebuilding safeguards for the city, some say that the overall quality of live in New Orleans is rising, mostly due to grass-roots campaigns to build activism. While employment is still below pre-Katrina levels, the number white-collar jobs are rising, schools are improving and new commerce is emerging.
One part of the returning legacy revolves around jazz. Trumpet player Irvin Mayfield is adamant about “bringing jazz back” to the French Quarter, and says that he plays to each guests as if it’s their first time hearing it.
One by one, people are making a difference in New Orleans. From the Army Corps of Engineers who build new technology, to the construction workers aiding Brad Pitt’s housing projects, down to the art and beat of Irvin Mayfield’s jazz, New Orleans is on its way.
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